UNHCR: Morocco pleads for refugees’ integration into national health systems
Morocco has called from Geneva for a global commitment to integrate refugees into national health systems.
“As a constructive partner pursuing a realistic and pragmatic approach, Morocco believes that including refugees in national health systems will help to respond to the immediate humanitarian emergency,” said Omar Zniber, Morocco’s Permanent Representative in Geneva, during a side event held on the sidelines of the 74th Session of the Executive Committee of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
As part of the mobilization of collective action through multi-stakeholder commitments at the World Forum on Refugees, scheduled for December, the diplomat stressed that Morocco is engaged with various partners, including UNHCR, WHO, the Global Fund, GAVI, and Johns Hopkins University, on a multi-stakeholder approach that appreciates the significant progress made in the three High-Level Meetings on Health at the UN General Assembly (September 2023) and the historic 3rd Global Consultation on Refugee and Migrant Health (Morocco, June 2023).
This approach aims to facilitate the inclusion of refugees, other forcibly displaced persons, and stateless persons through policy changes supported by financial, material, and capacity strengthening, and to foster equitable access to quality health services for refugees and host communities.
The diplomat also hoped to emulate the good practices already in place in Morocco, recalling that, in November last year, the Moroccan Ministry of Health signed an agreement with the UNHCR to conduct joint actions to support access for refugees and asylum seekers to basic health services and specialized care.
He also expressed Morocco’s determination to pursue its pioneering work to support sustainable development with measurable objectives and tangible contributions, in line with its moral commitment to refugees and host communities.
Commenting on the Moroccan diplomat’s speech, Gillian Triggs, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection with UNHCR, praised Morocco’s role as a model for refugee integration as well as the commitments it embodies in its relationship with UNHCR.
